In team competition, the top four fastest times among six skiers tabulate to achieve one overall time. Most teams have two or three exceptional skiers carrying the load. The Wayne Hills girls team, however, possessed six dynamic skiers from which to choose.

Kowalski led Wayne Hills to its first girls team title in school history, while Marchiafava led Don Bosco boys to its first team state title since 2004, and fifth overall title in school history.

Seniors Allison Kowalski, Valerie Anderson and Kristen Ascione, juniors Talbot Weston and Meryl Ryan, along with freshman Stephanie Bitcon, dominated the giant slalom on Thursday (5:58.44) before following it up with yet another dominating performance in the slalom (8:17.68) yesterday as Wayne Hills finished in a combined 14:16.12 to capture its first team state title at the Hidden Valley Ski Club in Vernon.

Don Bosco Prep, led by two sets of brothers, Joseph and Brandon Marchiafava, and Bobby and Tim Wolfangel won its first state title since 2004 in the boys competition.

"Besides the fact we are so deep in numbers, we've drawn together so much closer as a team. We race for each other, not just for ourselves. For each other. We are a team," Kowalski said.

Kowalski, Anderson, Weston, Ryan and Bitcon all clocked in the top 15 in the giant slalom on Thursday as it built a three-second lead over defending champion West Milford. The group repeated the effort, placing five more among the top 15 in the slalom yesterday, amid tough, icy, concrete-like conditions which caused 24 skiers in total to disqualify or not finish the race altogether.

In the end, Wayne Hills, which also leaned on senior Holly Ratcliffe, separated itself by more than 24 seconds over the competition.

"It's huge for us and for our school," Ryan said. "We're really excited to have this title. We've pushed each other all season long for this and it's ours. It's awesome."

Whatever the approach, the results were displayed on the mountain as Wayne Hills, under the direction of coaches Pete Strandes and Roy Scovill, was stellar (21-3) all season in the NJISRA's Independence Division.

"We race smarter. We're always thinking about what's best for the team, where we're at, what we need to do to accomplish our goals for the team," senior Anderson said. "We all grew up together, we've been skiing together since the third grade."

"I think we had it in our minds that we knew we had the ability to do it. All we had to do was work as a team and finish," junior Talbot Weston said. "We knew we just had to get to the bottom of the hill and it would be ours."

"Depth is what carried us," Strandes said. "Our top skiers are strong. But even our No. 4 and No. 5 skiers are capable of winning a race. That's what separated us.

"This team is really special," Strandes added. "For four years, they've worked so hard and for them to finally win this championship, after working so hard since their freshman year, I'm so happy for these girls. We had a good mix of veteran girls, a couple seniors, a couple juniors and a freshman. That mix of the older girls and the newer ones stepping in and contributing, they've really come together as a team. They're hard workers and they deserve everything they've got."

Bitcon took home a share of the state title as a freshman.

"It's awesome to be just a freshman and to come in and contribute to this," Bitcon said. "It's an accomplishment. There aren't too many freshman out there that can say that."

"It's a team sport, we're not individuals," Acione, a senior, said. "We worked hard. We did it together."

West Milford finished second at 14:40.87. Vernon placed third in 14:48.52.

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Even though Don Bosco is an all-boys school, the brotherhood on the boys skiing team is evident simply by looking at the roster.

The Marchiafava brothers and the Wolfangel siblings joined Tyler Davis and Chris Peticca as the Ramsey school posted a first-place 5:30.83 in the giant slalom before following it up with a first-place 7:18.01 in the slalom to finish in a combined 12:48.84 as it captured its first team state title since 2004 and fifth overall. Don Bosco won three state titles in a row from 2002-'04.

"As the captain, I was really focused on leading this team to first place," senior Joseph Marchiafava said. "Thursday was great. We had a strong team showing that gave us the momentum today. We're a bunch of talented kids, but the brotherhood of this team is what brought us together to win this state title."

"I don't really know what to say," freshman Tim Wolfangel said. "We practice harder and train longer than anyone else. We're always the first ones here and we're often the last ones to leave. We put in the effort."

"Endurance," second-year coach Phil Godwin said. "We've got great racers, but it's a long season. It's not much without core strength. We shared that as a team."

Vernon settled for runner-up, seven seconds off the pace, at 12:55.96. Ridge placed third with a time of 13:21.13.

"We just tried to put in four solid times," Shane Rea said. "The DSQ of Kevin Berge was quite a loss, but we have six strong skiers and we're looking for a win."ADDITIONAL INFO FROM AROUND THE STATE FINALS:

Even though it was a team comptetion, the skiing of West Milford's Chad Hawkins did not go unnoticed.

Hawkins was stellar in the giant slalom on Thursday, finishing first in both runs (37.47, 38.76) for a combined 1:16.23 before repeating the feat in the slalom with first-place runs of 50.39 and 44.95 for a combined 1:35.34 to sit atop the leaderboard.

"We held it together, the best we could for the team. We tried to post our best finishes," Hawkins said. "I had two more good runs today. I'm out there doing the best I can, trying to pull it out for the team. Thomas Gillespie is giving us all he's got.

"The Race of Champions is going to be a different race," Hawkins added.***

"Today wasn't one of my best days," boys individual defending state champion Brendan Drexler said. "Today was all about the team. You approach things differently. Your looking to finish and help the team out. With Tyler (Smith) and myself, we're a nice 1-2. We bump higher. Individual - it's all about yourself. You just have to go for it."

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"We've been training hard," Don Bosco junior Bobby Wolfangel said. "We're primarily USSA racers. We know how to ski. It felt pretty good to win the GS on Thursday. We're looking to carry the momentum into today. In a team race, you have to focus on finishing, you can't think about yourself. It would be a nice feeling to win (the state team title)."

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"The team is doing really well this year. We're pulling together. We're like a family," West Milford senior and girls individual defending state champion Dylan Marie Hyer said. "Every single race, we're going out looking to have fun, but we're still doing it. We're still posting good times. Heidi Meramo, Kate Timony, Lindsey Perez, Megan Polereczki, Krista Campbell, we're doing great. A lot of first-year skiers, everyone is contributing and we're having fun.

"I'm looking to defend my state title," Hyer also said.

"It's been a friendly competition the whole way through," Meramo said. "It's been a great season for Dylan and I. We've had so many injuries at the beginning of the season, but we've come together. This is such a team sport, and to have that unity, the whole team, it's been great."

***

NJISRA President Dave Pede was elated with the staff at Hidden Valley and could not provide enough compliments for the service they provide to the NJISRA.

"A shout out for Hidden Valley," Pede said. "They've really stepped up and put up an awesome racing forum the last four years. All the little things from readjusting the training courses, placing plenty of netting, and setting a course appropriate for high school skiing success. It takes a race department to work with the NJISRA and Hidden Valley provides that. The level of expertise on the mountain, the communication Bill Bolte and his race crew provide is tremendous. They should be commended."

NEW JERSEY INTERSCHOLASTIC SKI RACING ASSOCIATION TEAM STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS